


Up the Mountain, Around the Path

by Rays_Of_Write



Series: Linked Universe Oneshots & Drabbles [12]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Character Study, Gen, Introspection, Legend (Linked Universe)-centric, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), me being emo about how Legend finds companionship in the boys? it’s more likely than you think
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2020-10-29
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:48:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27198739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rays_Of_Write/pseuds/Rays_Of_Write
Summary: Legend was the path he walked on. Maybe he wished things were different, maybe he didn’t, but things could not be changed.He ran, thuds against the dirt road. He ran along the path that was his life, straightforward, never straying, never changing.He was running from his mind, thoughts that plagued his dreams, just like the travelers did when encountering the dark forest.--A closer look into Legend, who has more layers then what people first see
Series: Linked Universe Oneshots & Drabbles [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1777828
Comments: 2
Kudos: 31





	Up the Mountain, Around the Path

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is inspired by an art piece by thatshortkid269 which can be found [here!](https://www.instagram.com/p/CBMruT2pcDl/)  
> Hope y'all enjoy the fic, I really enjoyed writing it!

He was the path travelers walked upon, sore feet, wishing to return home. For he held people up, through their worries and fears. He slayed the monsters that brought harm. But it was hidden from view, just like a path whose long ways made feet ache. 

Like a path, he went on and fulfilled his purpose until it inevitably came to an end. 

Legend was the path he walked on. Maybe he wished things were different, maybe he didn’t, but things could not be changed. 

He ran, thuds against the dirt road. He ran along the path that was his life, straightforward, never straying, never changing. 

He was running from his mind, thoughts that plagued his dreams, just like the travelers did when encountering the dark forest. 

His pegasus boots on his feet, he dashed, away from life, only to run into people. Maybe they would help. They were heroes just like him. Legend hoped that maybe they would understand, but he had to admit that they wouldn’t, no one talked about losses, no one could help him. 

So he snapped, underneath the weight of the world, a mere tree branch that fell, broken into pieces beneath a foot. 

His very soul was broken, split into the two things that defined him, himself and his defense from the evil that infested the world. His defense rose up and bubbled over, morphing his personality and his real self was grinded out, pushed to the back of his mind, where it couldn’t infect his thoughts. 

Maybe it was for the better. Heroes are strong, they have courage, it’s built into their spirit. 

They didn’t run away from life and their problems, too scared to face them. 

So he turned bitter, his defense taking ahold of his every thought and every movement and every word. He fought back, tormenting people with his voice, his insults. 

What else was there to do?

Legend hid from life like Koholint hid from the world. He never existed. That was true in more ways than one. He shouldn’t have existed. His world, everything he knew about it, should have never found its way to light. It was a mishap, a wrong, a mistake someone made and tried to fix. 

He was nothing because that was what he was supposed to be. 

And yet his title, his name, he existed, rebelling against the ways of time— the ways of the land. He fought out of fear, fear that everything he knew would disappear in a blink. Because that could happen, he knew it first hand. Koholint remained in his mind like Marin did, like he promised. Their memory stayed within his mind, but a part of him stayed with her. 

Bound eternally to an island that didn’t exist, just because he had the misfortune of having to end it. 

People might have said it was the right thing to do, if he dared tell a soul. Legend couldn’t make up his mind, trying to tell himself he should have stayed. But an attempt at that would have been fruitless. The nightmares would have made sure to that, to plague the island, torture their minds. Was it worth it?

Legend knew he’d never know unless he told someone about his secret 4th adventure, but he couldn’t. The part of him that was pushed so far down desperately wanted to, to learn that it wasn’t his fault, but no one spoke of dreams and nightmares. The bittersweet thoughts that haunted his subconscious every night couldn’t be expressed. 

He didn’t want to anyway, at least his facade didn’t. 

He missed it, that was fact. He missed the kind people and villages, the walks along the beach, smelling the sweet flowers scattered along the shores. He missed her, holding hands, talking. Thoughts that wandered to Hyrule, where they could have stayed together forever. 

If only he was lucky. 

If only his greatest wish was ever fulfilled. 

For him to wish of things that were impossible, unreachable. He was naive then, fresh out of another adventure. 

He knew of fighting, courage and all that bullshit, of course, he had recently finished his 3rd adventure, he traveled on the open seas. Yet, he knew nothing of love and sincerity and opening up. The one time he tried it tore apart his heart. Who could fill a gap so large? Such a pain in his heart?

No one could. He learned that the hard way. Being soft and sincere was a waste of time, it seemed. An inconvenience. But every other hero’s actions displayed the fallacy in those words, they helped each other, made jokes, and laughed. 

Legend couldn’t help but laugh with them. Not out of need to keep up appearances, it was genuine, a spark that changed it all. He loved the feel of laughing, even the pains in his stomach, clutching his abdomen and toppling over. It was different; it was pure joy. 

He wanted more of it. 

So he tried to open up, slipping in phrases and casual jokes. He hadn’t felt that happy in a long while. His facade began to break, his mask chipping at the sides. 

Soon he would banter with Warriors. It was quick jabs, taunting phrases like before, but it was different. There was fire, a response to his words and he enjoyed it, licking up the feeling of something so small. Legend didn’t know why, maybe it was satisfaction— the smirk upon his lips when he won the verbal battle. Or maybe it was deeper, a reason to belong. 

Thoughts like that kept him up. Did he belong? Legend thought he did— who would fill the gap of silence if he left, when he and Warriors would spar with words, but he could never be sure. 

That was all it was for a while, jokes and banter, his mask chipping more and more at the corners, but it wasn’t enough to free himself. He was too scared for that. 

But his personality finally began to peak through, and with that his brashness. It surprised the group, his boldness something new. It wasn’t abrupt, coming in like a tsunami; it was like the banter slipping in unnoticed, but somehow caught the other’s attention more. It might have been the greater stride in his step or the smirk in his voice. It was better for the group, an honest voice that wasn’t afraid to speak up when it mattered. A person to keep their egos in check, mostly Warriors, as that was natural for Legend. 

He had grown to love the group and let a big chunk of his mask break and crumble onto the ground. It wasn’t all of the mask, but it was nice, to let the other heroes finally meet some of his real self. 

And then Hyrule came along. A good kid who still had a coat of innocence running in his veins.

It hit all the harder when he told them of his land. Legend couldn’t help but shudder at the implications whenever Hyrule talked. It didn’t sound like a terrible place, but one that needed help. It truly hurt when the group tried to find Hyrule’s place in the mess of time. Hyrule’s eyes would light up with excitement as he told of the hero before him, and with every word Legend crumbled. Everything was a perfect retelling of his adventures, albeit brief, even a mention of an island and the dark world. 

The island mention snagged his insides, seeing that he had only told a single person about it. He would have a talk with Zelda when they got to his Hyrule. 

Someone in the group asked if any of that was familiar and Legend could only nod, whispering, saying he came before Hyrule. 

He hated the face of awe that quickly warped onto Hyrule’s face. He left this land in that goddess-forsaken way. So all of his attempts to help had been a failure— he was worthless.

The last of the mask rotted and broke under that pressure. Legend didn’t cry, but he wanted to. To feel the hot tears, the aching in his eyes, a release of emotion, because in the end it helped, but to his dismay he couldn’t. Not in front of the others, whose image of him had been perfectly crafted. 

He got his nickname that day, the veteran, because of all his experience. He wasn’t sure he liked it completely, it could imply that after serving as a hero he was done, and that couldn’t be true. Even more so after he heard of the state of Hyrule’s land. 

He found Hyrule alone, sitting on a log and joined him, a mumble of a ‘hello’ escaping from his chapped lips. The traveler’s eyes brightened, a smile forming on his mouth. Legend couldn’t decide if he loved or hated that look. It was nice to be appreciated, but did he deserve the praise?

He shook his head, remembering why he had joined Hyrule. 

Words bounced around in his mouth, nearly getting stuck in his throat. Without even glancing at him, Legend spoke, “I’m sorry.”

Beat of terrible silence was what followed. It was agonizing, the lack of words fell on his shoulders like the weight of all of Hyrule upon him. It was a relief when Hyrule replied. 

“What for?”

Legend took a deep breath trying to sort out the rambling words in his head. He took a few seconds to look into the sky, wisps of clouds the only thing blocking the sun. The warm heat strengthened his thoughts and cleared his mind; the sun was powerful. 

“I left our Hyrule like that. What did I do?”

“Oh nothing! There’s about 60 or so years between us. Everything happened after you, well, you know…”

“Oh.” They both sat in silence again, but it wasn’t deathly anymore; it was a comfortable, mutual quietness. Legend hadn’t experienced something so blissful in years. 

With a moment of hesitation the veteran wrapped his arm around Hyrule, pulling him into a hug. The traveler responded by shifting his position and leaning onto Legend, his head on his ancestor's shoulder. 

Legend couldn’t help but grin, ruffling the hair on Hyrule’s head. The kid was a joy in the world, something different and Legend couldn’t help but take him in. 

So many things came with befriending the traveler. It helped him; a person to talk to, a protege to teach, and someone to just be around him when he didn’t want to be alone. The kid taught him many things as well and helped him become closer with the rest of the group. 

From time to time his leadership skills would be put to the test and Legend wouldn’t say he hated it, but certainly didn’t like it. He had been told he had leader qualities and he strived to help people he came across, but one thing got in his way. 

It was a lack of understanding, a lack of empathy. He was taught as a kid that meant putting yourself in someone else’s shoes, but he couldn’t do that. It was hard to learn about others when his shoes were already filled with problems and questions he had yet to work out. 

Life was difficult, a road of challenges ahead. Some breezed right through, a casual walk, maybe a jog, looking at the pretty scenery, stopping to watch the sun rise and set each day, colors blooming in the sky. 

Legend didn’t have the luxury of an easy path. His was up a mountain trail going on seemingly forever, the summit his stopping point. It was littered with enemies and deathly falls, just a step in the wrong direction or a shield out too late and he was gone. That was the hero’s life it seemed, scared to keep going but all too eager for it to be over with. Legend would stop on his journey sometimes, take a break and look down the mountain. Blood everywhere it seemed, remains of the monsters, guts and all, soaked in blood where the fatal swipe had been made. He never felt a ping of regret rise in his stomach because the blood on his clothes from where it splattered meant he could live another day. He couldn’t give up, he promised the land of Hyrule, his home, that he wouldn’t. 

Never in his life had he seen a sunrise or sunset without tired, muted colors, a bleak and pitiful sight. Until he met Hyrule and his mask rotted onto the mountain. The mask had trapped him, weighed him down and he was happy to be rid of it, happy to be free. 

If the veteran looked down from the mountaintop as an old man, with weak bones and grey hair, he could still see the heap rotting wood, its color a pale skin tone like his own, and two eyes that held a look of malice. It was a wonderful view from the mountaintop; the sunset was perfect, a blend of blues and deep oranges, hints of yellow and splatters of pink where the clouds rested, but it would be many years until he saw that particular view, and he was glad it was that way. He lived a full life like he had wanted, the Mastersword by his side until the very end, whispering words that only a hero could hear. 

A part of the old fellow missed the rush he felt while swinging sword, the precision while using bombs, but it was long past those days when he turned old, soon his hand would slip and the Mastersword would fall down the mountain, waiting for the next hero, and he would disappear as if he never existed, only a legacy, stories of his travels remaining, only a soul of courage. 

But he wasn’t an old man yet, he was still young, the other heroes by his side because of some interfering force. The old man chuckled, remembering how upon meeting the thing that started it all, he was tied between thanking the dark and slaughtering him viciously for the harm the evil had inflicted on his family. Legend had gone with the latter, his anger strong in the moment.

It would soon be time enough for that, and if Legend looked up from where he stood on the mountain he could see faint whispers of the three heroes before him. 

Legend smiled and continued walking, sword in hand. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope y'all enjoyed
> 
> Comments and kudos are appreciated!


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